Summary; sequel to AVLP, very much AU as it's a crossover. Hakkai, Sanzo, Goku and Gojyo, or Harry, Indigo, Neville and Ron are on their way to Hogwarts! Poor Hogwarts, you really weren't prepared for these boys, or their friends…
The Mirror of Erised
Healing the unicorn had complicated things.
Harry didn't regret it, but he did regret that he had been unable to keep it a secret. It had gotten back to Dumbledore, and the school. There had been a meeting between Harry and the headmaster, which had been uncomfortable to say the least, and the day after had been spent with a headache and a feeling of not-right-ness that had persisted until Indigo went poking around in his mind.
The procedure had seemingly been inspired by Vulcan mind melds, and had left Harry feeling like someone had pulled a tooth out of his brain. If how long it took Indigo to calm down enough to stop cussing Dumbledore and speak English again was any indication that was something like what had happened. The semi incoherent mutterings about gold brambles only added to this impression.
It had taken Harry over an hour to convince Indigo that roasting Dumbledore alive wasn't a good idea. It had taken another hour to extract a renewal of the Not-Killing-Dumbles-Till-3rd-Year promise. He was actually starting to wonder if it was worth it, Dumbledore was troublesome.
On top of this, Jackie was openly awed. But Jackie was fey, and the fey, it seemed, held unicorns in considerable love and respect. That Harry had healed one was a huge thing and resulted in total awe from not only Jackie, but also from every non-dark allied person who knew of the event. Even Neville and Ron were affected.
He had been spending a lot of time with the Slytherins. They might direct intense questions at him, but they didn't look awed. Just looked a bit surprised sometimes.
So now Harry wandered Hogwarts late at night, relishing the complete lack of anyone to stare at him, had he not been wrapped in his invisibility cloak.
The cloak was a god sent. Just where it had come from, and how it had come to be there, however, was one of those things that caused paranoia to run rife.
Harry raised his head, sensing people nearby. They where to close to escape so he slipped into a shadowy alcove, went still and tried to work out who it was.
Snape and Quirrell. Damn. They rounded the corner; Harry did his best to keep still as he watched them. Snape was gliding in his most threatening manner, Quirrell seemed appropriately scared.
"I'd hate to think you were up to something," murmured the potions master.
"D-dumbledore t-trusts me."
"Yes, he would. Are you after the Stone, Quirrell?"
"D-d-don't s-speak nonsense!"
"Nonsense? A troll get in, the unicorns are hunted…"
"Dumbledore trusts me!"
"Ah, but I don't, and your stutter is inconsistent."
Quirrell gaped, then turned and stormed off. Snape didn't follow him.
"Pathetic," he whispered. "The dark lord Voldemort reduced to that." For a moment Snape looked straight at Harry, and then he curled a lip, turned and walked away.
Harry breathed out as quietly as possible, and leaned back slightly. He then almost fell over as the door he hadn't realized was there opened behind him.
Stumbling into the room, he found a lot of dust and a tall, free standing mirror in a heavy gold frame. He squinted at the inscription, and sighed. "Yay. More things to investigate."
This said, Harry turned and ran from the room. He had not looked in the mirror once.
Albus Dumbledore, who had watched the whole thing in a scrying mirror, scowled.
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Harry had gone to Percy. The prefect had been good at not staring, and he took runes.
Percy looked at the writing Harry had copied, and frowned.
"They aren't runes, but I don't recognize the language either. Where did you see it?"
"It was written on the frame of a very clean mirror in a very dusty room," replied Harry, perfectly deadpan.
"And that's totally not suspicious," snarked the red head, and then blinked. "I have been spending too much time around Slytherins."
"Sarcasm is a school wide phenomenon," declared Yuki, dropping into the seat next to Percy and peering at the writing. "What are you muttering about?"
"I found a strange mirror last night. The inscription isn't in runes."
"No…" Yuki tipped her head and frowned slightly. "But 'serised' is desires backwards."
"By that reckoning… 'What your heart desires." Percy frowned. "I've heard something like that before."
"The Mirror of Erised," said the blond softly. "Think it's legit?"
"Only one way to find out," said Harry cheerfully. "Meet me by the library at midnight?"
Yuki smirked. Percy sighed.
"You are such a bad influence."
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As it turned out, Percy, Yuki, Harry, and Neville meet by the library at midnight, with Hazel and Susan joining them 5 minutes later.
"We aren't all going to fit under the invisibility cloak," stated Harry, not bothering to question the unexpected companions.
"That's all right; I've got a cloak of disillusionment," said Susan airily, pulling said cloak out of her bag and shaking it briskly. "Not as good as an invisibility cloak, but it gets the job done."
"Where did you get it?" asked Percy, interested.
"Auntie Amelia brought it home one day and I stole it. How are we doing this?"
"Follow Percy, I'm going to be steering him," stated Harry, shaking out his cloak and vanishing under it, soon joined by Yuki and Neville. "Let's go."
Percy started walking a moment later.
"This is the weirdest thing I have ever experienced," said the perfect to the seemingly empty corridor. "And I grew up in the same house as Fred and George."
Neville squeaked as Susan walked into him, and Yuki spat a truly foul word as Neville almost fell on her. Harry blushed and resolved to have a long talk to Ron and Indigo about using ancient Chinese swearwords around impressionable minds.
Xxxxxxx
They reached the chamber, and piled in. The cloaks were removed.
"Let's never do that again," said Yuki.
"Amen," muttered Harry. "Look, mirror."
Percy wandered over, and frowned at the inscription.
"I show not you face, but what your heart desires," he murmured before glancing into the glass. He sighed. "I'd say it's legit."
"What do you see?" asked Yuki.
Percy gave her a wry smile. "I respect your privacy, little snake, please do the same for me."
Yuki glanced into the mirror, and then made a painful little noise in the back of her throat before moving away. Percy nodded in a pensive manner, and followed.
Neville darted forward, and promptly burst out laughing.
"Nev?" Susan was a bit worried.
"C-cockroach suit!"
"Oh dear," said Hazel, "I should never have suggested that." He glanced in the mirror and scowled. "Oh you're taking the piss! I don't even know who that is! Are we sure this is the real thing?"
"As sure as we can be," said Yuki dully.
"Then why is it showing me someone I don't know?"
"Because you really want a tall dark stranger?" said Harry, thinking of Gat and bonds that lasted though death, and how the giant would have fallowed Hazel Grouse into the dark.
Hazel stalked off to sulk.
Harry and Susan shared a look, and stepped up to the mirror together.
"My parents." hissed the Hufflepuff. "Damn the thing."
Harry said nothing, unable to look away.
His parents from this life were there, as was Kanan and two men he vaguely remembered from before Voldemort. Fred, George and Jackie were talking to the men he couldn't name. Ron and Neville were arguing while Hermione and Tracy watched them over a shared book. Yuki and Hannah seemed to be in plotting mode and were watching Flare and Susan carefully. Harry's image was sitting on a window seat, Indigo was sitting at the other end and they were viewing the chaotic scene. Harry's image was openly smiling, and Indigo had that look of amused resignation that was his way of showing contented happiness.
It was something perfect. It would never happen. Kanan had been dead for over a thousand years, and his parents for over a decade. Gat wasn't here.
"I don't think I like this mirror."
"Harry?"
He looked into concerned caramel eyes, and tried to smile.
Neville wasn't fooled, but was to wise and to kind to call him out on it.
"Bed now? I'm getting' sleepy."
"Works for me. Everybody?"
There were nods all round. They returned to their respective dorms in silence.
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"And so we call the first meeting of-"
"- what the floob is going on to order!"
Ron gave his two brothers an odd look, and turned to Indigo. "Can they do that?"
"I can think of no logical reason why they shouldn't. The use of the word 'floob' is rather odd."
"That's the part that bothers you?" asked Tracy, incredulous.
"It's a strange word."
"Does it matter?" asked Flare sharply. "We have more important things to consider."
"What do you think we should do?" asked Jackie, sighing. "Our friends are, for some reason, upset. We don't know why and so can't do anything about it."
"We do know what the Cerberus is guarding though," volunteered Tracy, resting her chin on her hand. "The Philosophers Stone."
"It's the only thing that fits." agreed Hermione.
"Someone actually made one?" asked Dean, slightly worried.
"Nicolas Flamel," said Flare simply.
"Bugger."
"We are getting-"
"-a bit off track."
"So we are." Jackie turned to Indigo with an expectant expression. "Work your mojo empath boy."
A single blond eyebrow was raised. "Neville is worried about the rest, Hazel is annoyed and worried about the rest, Percy and Yuki are giving off 'I need a hug' vibes, Susan is pissed off and Harry is avoiding me."
"Wait, you're really an empath?"
"Yes. I did tell you Hannah."
"But I didn't believe you!"
"That is entirely your own fault. What are we going to do?"
There was a long moment of thoughtful silence. Then Jackie tossed out an idea.
"Let's throw a party."
The silence returned for a few seconds, then; "Sure, why not."
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Fred and George Weasley stormed into Percy's dorm, grabbed their brother by the elbows and dragged him towards the stairs.
"Party!" chirruped Fred.
"Party!" agreed George.
Percy decided to call for back up.
"OLIVER! HELP!"
Oliver Wood got up and gave his beaters an odd look. They beamed at him.
"We're throwing-"
"-a party!"
Oliver raised an eyebrow, and then shrugged. "Can I come?"
"You are meant to be on my side," hissed Percy, even as his brothers nodded and dragged him down the stairs and out of Gryffindor tower.
"I can't piss off my team, Percy."
The glare, focused by horn-rimed spectacles, would have liquefied steel. "How about pissing off your dorm mate?"
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Neville and Susan were highjacked by Hannah and Hermione while the rest of Hufflepuff watched in shock.
"Party in the empty room opposite the charms classroom!" called Hermione as she shoved Neville out of the portrait hole. "You're all invited!"
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Hazel was leaning against a tree, lost in thought.
He was, quite without warning, hauled away from the tree and dragged back towards Hogwarts by Tracy and Dean.
"Dare I ask?"
"Party," said Dean, shrugging. "You're coming."
"I'd rather not."
Tracy's grip on his arm tightened threateningly. "Sucks to be you then."
xxxxxxx
Yuki was sprawled on her bed. A black storm cloud seemed to have enveloped it, reaching beyond the curtains.
Then Millicent Bullstrode yanked a curtain back, and gazed down at her with apathetic eyes.
"Malfoy wants to talk to you." she said bluntly.
It was maybe the 5th time Millicent had ever spoken to Yuki. It wasn't that they actually disliked each other, but their fathers didn't get on, and as Millicent was clearly destined to be 6 foot tall she wasn't keen to be seen around the willowy and beautiful Daphne Greengrass.
"Hardly surprising," muttered Yuki.
Millicent tipped her head slightly, then yanked Yuki off the bed, slung the smaller girl over one shoulder and stalked down the stairs.
Yuki was first to shocked, and then to sensible to struggle all that much. On reaching the common room, she was deposited in front of a rather surprise Indigo.
"Now stop shouting up the stairs," ordered the tall girl sternly.
"Yes ma'am," replied Indigo, looking almost meek.
Millicent snorted, a slight smile on her lips, and headed back to her dorm.
"We are having a party," stated Indigo, fixing Yuki with a determined stare. "You will attend."
"Oh?" Yuki narrowed her eyes, not liking his tone. "Why is that?"
"Because, oh dear, unrelated sister of mine, your little doom cloud act it pissing me off. Alright?"
Yuki stared at him for a moment, concealing her reaction out of habit. Indigo would still know, of course, but she was damned if the rest of Slytherin would know how that affected her. "Let me get my shoes."
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Harry was on top of the astronomy tower, one hand laid palm up on the hip high walling.
"Your life line is longer now."
"Eek! Ron, please don't do that, you surprised me."
"Right back at you man, and isn't this just the weirdest sort of déjà vu ever?"
Harry smiled slightly. "True. Do I want to know why you've come after me this time?"
"We are having a party, there is music, sweets and Flare has a bottle of rum for some reason I don't want to think about. Come on."
"A party? Why?"
"'Cause all the gloom mongering is getting on our collective nerves."
Harry laughed, following his red headed friend. "We have the strangest ways of dealing with things."
"Yeah well, normal is boring."
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The party went on until 2am, when the teachers finally managed to break the spells on the door and get in.
By then the party included ¼ of the Hufflepuffs, 9 Ravenclaws, 16 Slytherins and all the Gryffindors that Flint, who had somehow become the doorman, would let in. Most of the party goers were tipsy enough not to notice that the room would not have comfortably held so many people at the start of the evening, and to not care that Jackie, Yuki and Indigo had danced with everyone, including the people they didn't know, or that Oliver Wood, Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater were making out in one corner.
The teachers, however, were not drunk and not amused, perhaps because many of the tipsy students were 1st- 3rd years. McGonagall looked particularly cross, as a giggling Dean had drawn a picture of her with cat ears and tail and a fish hanging out of her mouth.
Points were taken. Detentions were given. Madame Pomfrey was forbidden to hand out hangover remedies.
Nobody cared all that much, and Dumbledore seethed.
Next time: Pictures of Souls Part 2, and Hagrid's Big Mouth